Welcome to the Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy
"The Department of Occupational Therapy is in an exciting phase of academic growth. The [then] new MScOT program has been established, relationships with the clinical community are flourishing, academic faculty are developing a record of quality teaching and scholarly achievement, and the leadership." (CAOT On-site Report, 2004)
The Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy is dedicated to leadership. The University of Toronto was the birthplace of Canadian academic occupational therapy, in 1918, and home to the first ever program in occupational therapy. Ever since that time, occupational therapy has thrived at the University, producing many of the profession’s most prominent leaders and initiating many new trends. Most recently, the Department has become the first in Canada to publicly acclaim the prominence of the science of occupation for the profession by changing its name to the Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy. The Department’s graduate program in occupational therapy, the MScOT, prepares students in advanced academic and professional knowledge and applied research skills, and is strongly based in occupational science.
The Department is known for its leadership in the profession. It has graduated more Muriel Driver Lecturers than any other program in Canada, has the largest number of full professors in Canada many of whom are world renowned, and it is part of a world class medical school. The Department is located in state of the art facilities at 500 University Avenue; the heart of the largest most prominent health sciences complex in the country.
The Department has more than 20 core faculty, and over 150 clinical faculty with status appointments, all dedicated to the education of our 160 professional students. The Department’s vision is to achieve international leadership in research and education in Occupational Therapy and Occupational Science. The vision for graduates of our professional program is that they become innovative occupational therapists and lifelong learners and educators, that they be essential contributors to health through occupation, and perform as confident and competent scientist-practitioners while demonstrating skills in and commitment to research.
As noted in the CAOT accreditation review (2004):
"There is every reason to believe that the Department’s vision, Creating Leaders in Occupational Therapy, is achievable given the human and material resources." (CAOT On-site Report, 2004)
